Trinamool tried to scuttle Panchayat polls: Karat

Kolkata: Terming that the democracy is under attack in West Bengal, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat on Monday alleged that Trinamool Congress had tried to "scuttle" panchayat elections in the state.

"The spirit of democracy in West Bengal is under attack now. We are in the midst of panchayat election, an election which was tried to be scuttled and sabotaged by the powers who are ruling West Bengal," Karat said while addressing a program to felicitate the birth centenary of Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu.

"I am sure the people of West Bengal, the Left and democratic forces will fight back against this attempt to weaken democracy," he said.

The coming panchayat polls had become a bone of contention between State Election Commission and Trinamool Congress-led state government, as both of them moved the court over the holding of the elections.

The Supreme Court last week fixed the dates of poll for July 11, 15, 19, 22 and 25 and turned down the plea of the state government and some NGOs seeking to reschedule the dates to keep the election process before or after Ramzan month which will start from July 10 and end on August 9.